Speech #990110294

As the summit between President Reagan and Soviet Premier Gorbachev nears. it is not only fitting but essential that we focus attention on the human rights record of the Soviet Union and her Eastern European satellites. In July of this year. I had the privilege of traveling to the Soviet Union to meet with some of the victims of that countrys restrictive immigration policies. Thousands of Soviet Christians and Jews are prevented from freely practicing their faiths. Those who wish to emigrate to the country of their choice to be with their family in a free environment are denied that privilege and. instead. face the endless harassment reserved for those who do not conform to the States narrow definition of a good citizen. These human rights abuses exist despite the fact that the Soviet Unions constitution guarantees the right to profess or not to profess any religion or to conduct religious worship or atheistic propaganda. If we look at the record. it would appear that at least this section of the Soviet constitution is itself propaganda. because he right of individuals to worship as their faith prescribes is certainly being denied. We must also assume that Soviet compliance with the 1975 Helsinki accord. to which they are a signatory. is more a matter of myth than reality. because the right to emigrate freely is also being denied. Perhaps the group of Soviet citizens suffering religious persecution with whom we are most familiar Is the Soviet Jewish community. I think we are all aware of the grim statistics that show the decline in Soviet Jewish immigration and are familiar with the cases of many individual Jewish refuseniks who have been brought to the attention of the Congress. Upon returning from the Soviet Union this summer. my colleagues who accompanied me on the trip and I held a special order similar to this which focused on the plight of Soviet Jews. and we must continue to press for an end to their harassment and for a less restrictive emigration policy from the Soviet Union. However. many. Soviet Chiristlans are also suffering as a result of their unwillingness to surrender their faiths. and I want to take a few moments to focus on these courageous individuals.